Alarm Bells
by LilyGhost
Summary: An apprehension turns explosive when Ranger answers Stephanie's call. A Ranger POV story.


**This story is based on a quote I read that I changed a little and split up to fit Steph and Ranger's conversations before and after the job. Everyone and anything familiar is Janet's. The mistakes are mine alone.  
**

"You came?" Steph asked me, after she watched me park my F-150 behind her car and then slide into the passenger's seat beside her. "I know you said you were in a meeting."

Her tone gave away her surprise that I'd drop everything for her.

"I'd never pass up an opportunity to see you, but I also know that you don't ask for help as a rule, so I take it very seriously when you do."

"I try not to need anyone anymore ..."

"We all need someone, Babe."

" _You_ don't."

"I wouldn't be here if that were true."

"You really do love me, don't you?" She asked, again with the surprised voice.

"Yes."

" _Why?_ "

"We don't have enough time for me to list all the reasons why I do. Where's your FTA?"

"I was heading to the address on file, which is two up on the other side of the street, but I spotted him crossing the street and heading here," she said, pointing to what I assume is an empty house since there's a For Sale sign collecting dirt a few feet from where we're sitting. "So I parked here and followed him, but he'd already gone through the back door and had it locked behind him. I tried the front door, which of course was also locked, and Garnfell told me to 'go fuck myself' when I told him to open up. He laughed when I said I'd break the door down and haul his ass out before I'd do that. He was bragging that he had the place booby trapped and I'd be confetti a second after I touched the door. I was going to call the TPD, but I didn't want to risk the ball-busting I'd get if this guy turned out to just be an ass, not an actual headcase. As I was deciding whether or not to call you, though, I couldn't help but think he wouldn't be on someone else's property unless he was actually up to something."

"Your Spidey Sense is never wrong. And you don't have balls to bust, Babe. You have a few things better."

As I'd planned, she relaxed and smiled at me. "You certainly seem to think so."

"I can prove it all over again after we get this guy if you're interested."

I watched her face to see if she was going to brush away the suggestion, and me along with it, with a joke or nervous laugh, but this time she answered honestly.

"I'm _always_ interested. I always have been."

I picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I'm happy to hear it. And keep that in mind. I knew you were here alone so I didn't waste time running the usual checks on him. Is this guy military?"

If he is, or is obsessed with that life, we could have a situation bigger than the TPD can handle if they were called. They still don't fully grasp how fortunate they are to have me and a building full of experience residing in Trenton.

"No," she said. "If he was ... I would've called you before leaving my apartment, not after I'd already talked to him."

"You should call anyway. I enjoy seeing you in action."

"I aim to please," she said, reaching for the door handle.

"And you never disappoint."

I led the way to the house but I didn't knock or kick the door in. Instead, I reached into a pocket on my cargo pants and pulled out a test kit the size of a credit card.

"What's that?" Steph asked.

"An explosive detection kit. In about three minutes, we'll find out if he's lying. We'll know sooner if it is true and he decides to make a point," I explained, moving us away from the place as a precaution.

"Is there anything you don't have in your cargo pants?"

While the test was working on the swab I'd swiped the door with, I glanced at her and raised a single eyebrow. If she wants to see everything I have tucked in my pants, I'll happily oblige.

"That didn't come out right," she said, after a few tense moments.

"It sounded perfect to me. And we've got a problem."

"He wasn't kidding?"

"No. He's still inside?"

"Unless he dug himself an underground tunnel. I haven't seen him come out of the house. Guess he wasn't just being difficult by yelling through the door instead of opening it."

"I'll get Slick and Woody here. You call Eddie and fill him in. This guy's not only crazy, he's a public safety concern. If the neighboring homes weren't so close, I'd handle this myself," I said, tugging her even further away from the potential house-bomb, "but it's not worth the risk."

"I agree. I don't want anything happening to _you_ , never mind the neighbors."

I could feel eyes on us as we both placed calls for backup. Garnfell was watching us through the blinds covering the window closest to the front door. He laughed and flipped us off when he noticed me staring at him. My gut told me to move faster ... and I didn't question it.

" _Run!_ " I shouted, before wrapping my hand around Stephanie's wrist and jerking her towards the street.

We made it to my vehicle just before the house went up in a ball of fire. I tugged her behind my truck and turned her into my body to block her from the heat, flames, and any flying debris.

"Oh God," she said, thinking the worst.

"We don't need God's help yet," I told her, kissing her hair. "Stay here and wait for our reinforcements."

"Where are you going?"

"To check the area."

"You saw him inside, there's no way he could've made it out of the house before he exploded it."

"Normally I'd agree with you, but something feels off."

"Yeah, this entire capture."

I pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "I'll be right back," I told her, already moving.

I found the asshole hiding in another neighbor's garden shed, jerking off as he watched the building burn through the shed's small window. I know there are some people who get off on committing arson, but I didn't want to see it firsthand and literally _in his hand._

"I'm not touching you," I said with a deadly tone, "but if you make a move other than to follow my orders, I _will_ kill you and cremate you using your own fire. There are many ways I can do it without leaving evidence, and I have been called extremely persuasive. The cops will believe me when I say you never made it out of the house."

Any self-pleasure he'd generated drained out of him before any blood could. He covered up and cuffed himself once my gun pressed into the back of his head after my boot accidentally landed in his rib cage. Standing in a slow-to-sell house rigged to blow didn't frighten him as much as I do. His idea of a fun pastime will get him a much longer prison stay this time around. I handed him off to Eddie, spoke to my men before sending them back to Rangeman since the problem had handled itself, and I went back to Stephanie.

"I hate the guy, but I'm glad he didn't die," she told me when I reached for her.

"He looks to be a complete waste of skin, along with being nuts, but I'm also glad you didn't have to watch him die."

"Where did you find him?"

"In a shed on the neighboring property. Let's just say he was enjoying the show."

I don't want to have to tell her how he chose to do that. Luckily, she didn't need details except for the ones explaining how I think he was able to get out before the structure exploded.

"He had to have had the explosives hooked up to a timer or a detonator, something that would allow him a minute to get out. If I'm being honest, I would've preferred him to have gotten trapped inside just for what he could've done to you if you hadn't sensed he was serious and called me."

"I've never been happier that I did," she said, as the fire and flashing police lights blinded us, sirens made it difficult to hear, and the smoke from the house fire had us periodically coughing.

Residents of the neighborhood had started pouring out of their houses at this point, but Steph was ignoring everything but me.

"Just so you know," she started to say, tucking her face into my neck as my arms tightened around her.

My body went on full alert again. She always hides her face when she's feeling vulnerable.

"I don't ask for help often because it means I'm admitting that I'm trusting that person to not let me fall or fail, or at least be there to catch me if I do and not laugh at me afterwards."

I lifted her face up with a single finger under her chin. "You're saying you trust me?"

Her beautiful eyes stared directly into mine. "Yeah. And to me, that means almost more than saying 'I love you' ... which I also do. I love and completely trust you. I'm sorry I didn't say it much sooner."

"Same here, Stephanie," I shared, giving her lips a brief kiss.

"So I sorta captured Garnfell ..."

"He's currently in police custody. You did your job."

" _You_ did my job. I thought he was toast. He would've gotten away if your Batdar hadn't been working, making you go looking for him."

"You located him and had him under surveillance until I got here. I just cuffed him. And that part he did himself so I can't take credit for it."

She hugged me harder. "Thank you ... for saying that, for coming when I called, and for suggesting that our time together isn't over."

"I'm not just _suggesting_ it ... I promise that what we have - that can only get better after today - will _never_ be over, Babe."


End file.
